Neighbours
by Alidiabin
Summary: Between May 2005 and May 2006, Mike Franks had some neighbours who weren't all that they seemed. AU Kari fic.


**Title: **Neighbours**  
Fandom: **NCIS**  
Author: **Alidiabin**  
Words: **1,194**  
Disclaimer: **I own nothing**  
Warnings/ Spoilers: ** general S3**  
Parings:** Well Kate/Ari.  
**Summary: **Mike Franks got some new neighbours in Mexico in May 2005. AU.

_**Neighbours**_

Mike Franks did not remember the exact day in May 2005, when he got new neighbours. They were a couple, in their mid to late thirties. The man was darker skinned almost like a native Mexican. The woman was paler skinned and had dark hair that had been lightened by blonde streaks. Mike lay in his hammock with his second beer of the day, and watched them. They were kind and loving to one another, always holding hands and stealing kisses.

Camilla let herself into his shack, with some groceries.  
"Who the hell are these people?" Mike asked as she tidied up his deck so she could sit.  
"His name is Andre and hers is Claire they're from England" Camilla uttered sadly as se admired the man, Mike wondered if this would be another of Camilla's unrequited loves. "He's a doctor and she's an artist and their expecting a baby" Camilla said as the man put his hand over the woman's belly. Camilla looked away. "You owe me money"  
"I always do" Mike replied as he took a cigarette from his stash.

Mike watched them, from his hammock. The days grew longer then short again as winter neared, her belly enlarged and the couple always loved up. Mike felt like he was watching one of those silly romance movies his old girlfriend and sons mother Margaret liked. They kissed and hugged. Every day the woman waddled to the water and paddled into the water. The man never followed, Mike assumed it was the womans private time. Sometimes as she floated she sobbed. Her pain filled cries echoed in the air.

One day in November something changed. She waddled down to the sea, her hand resting on her swollen belly. She was paler than usual and swayed as she walked. Mike sat up in his hammock as she immersed herself in the sapphire water. She steeped out a few minutes later, looking ill. She was swaying and her lips were trying to form the word help. Mike leapt up and ran faster than he ran in the decade since he retired from NIS. By the time he reached her on the golden sand she had collapsed. Scarlet blood seeped from her.  
"It's too early" she whispered in what sounded like an American accent. The man of the house ran down to them. He stroked his wife's face.  
"It's ok" he told her softly.  
"It hurts make it stop" she cried. Mike helped the dark haired man lift his wife up and caught a glimpse of his eyes, despite the tough guy image he was putting on; Mike could tell he was scared. He carried her to the car, she moaned and sobbed. Mike looked at the scarlet soaked sand that the tide was washing over.

They returned a few days later, with ashen faces and red eyes. They did not talk as they got out of the car. Nor did they touch. All the lovingness Mike had seen in the months before had gone. It seemed apparent they would be grieving at opposite tides.

"It's sad isn't it" Camilla told him the bar later that night. "They lost their little boy"  
"Yeah" Mike said, thinking of his own son Liam who was in Iraq. Mike saw the husband stumble around.  
"We named him Arlo" he whispered in an accent that sounded Middle Eastern. "I need another drink"  
"No" Camilla said. "You have had too many"  
"He's to drunk to go home" Mike said as the man fell onto the bar.  
"I'll put him upstairs in the guest room" Camilla said as she and Mike helped him up.  
"My wife" the man uttered.

Mike knocked on the door of the shack, He could hear sobbing but there was no answer. He peaked in the window, the woman with blonde steaks was sobbing into a blue blanket. Mike knocked on the window. She had a gun beside her. She got up slowly; her hand grazed her still tender stomach. She opened the door.  
"Yes" she said slowly in the fake British accent.  
"Your husbands at the bar" Mike said. "He ain't coming home" She looked down.  
"Oh god he's leaving me" the woman said.  
"No" Mike said touching her hand to give her comfort. "He's just too drunk to stumble home"  
"Arlo" the woman uttered with sadness in her voice as she realised why her husband was drinking. "Do you want to see him?" Mike raised his eyebrows in confusion, but followed the woman.

Inside the house on a shelf, on it was an urn and a photo of a blue faced baby. Mike looked at the shrine.  
"Not what you think of when someone says come see the baby" she said wrapping her cardigan around her torso.  
"He was beautiful" Mike said. The woman touched the photo.  
"Just like his father" the woman said. "I gave up so much for him"  
"Arlo" Mike said.  
"And his father" the woman said. "I had a job, family, friends"  
"In America?" Mike asked remembering the woman's American accent.  
"Yes" she said quietly. "Indiana originally"  
"Louisiana" Mike said. The woman smirked for just a second. "Why don't you go El Notre for a bit, see them"  
"Can't" she said.  
"What they think you dead or something?" Mike asked. She looked away.  
"Something like that" she whispered. Mike patted her hand.  
"I'm sorry" Mike said as he let himself out. He heard crying from the woman as he shut the door.

For months the couple continued to grieve at opposite tides. She spent all day sitting on the beach watching the cobalt ocean washing over the golden sands. He spent all day sleeping off his hangover. She spent all night crying herself to sleep. He spent all night drinking into oblivion. Mike watched on sadly, the pair mourned and ached for all they had lost, yet could not break free of the hell they had created.

One day in May, the man walked onto the beach at sunset. She looked up. He looked down. Mike heard the screaming. Mike looked up from his hammock to find her smacking the mans chest, and him stroking her head. He cried too, until finally the both looked onto the ocean. They turned to face each other and said softer words. Mike watched as they kissed to the setting sun.

The next day as the sun rose and woke Mike up. The couple opened the urn and the ashes of their child flew into the azure ocean. The mans hand wrapped around the woman's body.

Gibbs came a week later. He was as broken as the couple had once been. Gibbs busied himself with doing- up Mike's house. One day the couple stepped out, their arms wrapped around each other. They lovingly strolled along the beach, stealing kisses.

Gibbs stared at the couple a confused look etched on his face.  
"You look like you've seen a ghost Probie" Mike said as he sipped a beer. Gibbs looked back at his former boss.  
"Kate" Gibbs whispered. The couple noticed Gibbs and went inside.

The couple never came out again. Camilla told Mike that they'd moved away.

**A/N:** The couple described in my mind were Ari and Kate. I don't know where this came from originally, as I found a written copy of it under my bed and this is the tweaked version. Reviews?


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